Paches (Paches) loxeca Grishin, 2023

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian & Grishin, Nick V., 2023, Supplementary Materials and Appendix, Insecta Mundi 2023 (26), pp. 1-115 : 39

Paches (Paches) loxeca Grishin , new species

https://zoobank.org/ D34A1B66-34BC-4424-A3DF-73B6D72B695C

( Fig. 3 part, 87–88, 307–309)

Definition and diagnosis. Phylogenetic analysis of the Paches loxus (Westwood, 1852) complex reveals a fourth (and new) species in addition to P. loxus , Paches gloriosus Röber, 1925 and Paches loxana Evans, 1953 that stands out in its genetic differentiation ( Fig. 3): e.g., its COI barcodes differ from those of P. loxus , P. gloriosus , and P. loxana by 2.4% (16 bp), 2.7% (18 bp), and 2.9% (19 bp), respectively. This new species keys to Paches loxus loxus or “ Paches loxus loxana ” (E.43.1(b) or (c)) in Evans (1953) and differs from its relatives by the lack of median brown band (or its remnants) on dorsal hindwing in males and narrower brown hindwing margin (like P. loxus , and P. gloriosus , the band typically developed in P.loxana ), more extensive dark discal area on forewing in males (like P.loxana and P. gloriosus , forewing mostly blue in P. loxus ), white distal two-third of the ventral hindwing in females (like P. loxus and different from other species). Due to the cryptic nature of this species, most reliable identification is achieved by DNA and a combination of the following base pairs is diagnostic in the nuclear genome: aly536.116.5:T25C, aly 2578.2.1:A51T, aly 1079.4.3:C141T, aly1222.17.1:T51C, aly1489.18.2:C55T, and COI barcode: T97T, A202G, A214G, T274C, T412C, G620T.

Barcode sequence of the holotype. Sample NVG-19088C07, GenBank OR837662, 658 base pairs: AACTTTATATTTTATTTTTGGAATTTGAGCAGGAATAGTAGGTACCTCATTAAGTTTATTAATTCGAACAGAACTAGGAAATCCAGGATCATTAATT GGAGATGATCAAATTTATAATACTATTGTAACAGCTCATGCTTTTATTATAATTTTTTTTATAGTTATACCCATTATAATTGGAGGATTTGGAAATT GATTAGTGCCACTAATATTGGGAGCCCCTGATATAGCTTTCCCTCGTATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGAATATTACCCCCCTCATTAACCCTTTTAAT TTCTAGAAGTATTGTGGAAAATGGAGCTGGAACCGGATGAACAGTTTACCCCCCGCTTTCATCAAATATTGCTCATCAAGGTTCTTCAGTTGATTTA GCTATTTTTTCTCTTCACTTAGCCGGTATTTCATCAATTTTAGGAGCTATTAATTTTATTACCACAATTATTAATATACGTATTATAAATTTATCTT TTGATCAAATACCTCTATTTGTTTGAGCAGTAGGAATTACTGCATTATTACTATTATTATCTTTACCTGTTTTAGCGGGAGCTATTACAATATTATT AACAGATCGAAATTTAAATACATCATTTTTTGACCCCTCTGGAGGTGGAGATCCAATCTTATATCAACACTTATTT

Type material. Holotype: ♂ deposited in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution , Washington, DC, USA ( USNM), illustrated in Fig. 87–88, bears the following four rectangular labels, three white: [ ECUADOR: Morona-Santiago | 15 km S Gualaquiza, 800 m | 3° 27.6′S, 78° 33.1′W | 15 September 2000 | D H Ahrenholz, leg.], [DNA sample ID: | NVG-19088C07 | c/o Nick V. Grishin], [USNMENT | {QR Code} | 01588932], and one red [HOLOTYPE ♂ | Paches (Paches) | loxeca Grishin ] . Paratype: 1♀: NVG-19088C10 USNMENT_01588935 Peru: Piura, 3 km W Canchaque, 1300 m, −5.366667, −79.616667, 4-Jun-2000, R. Robbins and G Lamas, leg., genitalia NVG-22032F04 [ USNM].

Type locality. Ecuador: Morona-Santiago, 15 km S of Gualaquiza, elevation 800 m, GPS −3.460000, −78.551667.

Etymology. The name is formed as lox [us from] Ec [u] a [dor] and is a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Southern Ecuador and northern Peru.